Ever get grass envy? It’s the middle of summer, your grass in the front or back yard has yellowed and sounds a bit crunchy to walk on. Then suddenly you notice Joe Blow’s lawn on the other side of the road and it looks incredible. ‘The grass is always greener on the other side,’ you guess. But then you remember, Joe spends a lot of time watering to keep it looking that way.

“The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. It’s greener where you water it.”

The quote above is one that I reflect on regularly. We all can get distracted with what our minds tell us might, could or should be, but how long do we choose to stay in these sets of thoughts? One of my favourite quotes that compliments this idea is, ‘Comparison is the thief of joy’. It reminds me that gratitude, happiness and contentment live in the acceptance of what is, not in what my mind is ruminating on might, could or should be.

“When you realise there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” – Lao Tzu

A leader sees, embraces and celebrates enough. From this place they purposefully use their daily thoughts, words and actions to make a difference in their own and others lives. They’re not perfect, that’s definitely for sure. But when they feel their energy being drained or pulled away from where they can actually ‘be the change’, they choose to remember that, ‘The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. It’s greener where you water it’. Then they water it!

“The mind is malleable, our life can be greatly transformed by even a minimal change in how we manage our thoughts and perceive and interpret the world. Happiness is a skill. It requires effort and time.” – Matthieu Ricard

I love being inspired daily by the groups I have the pleasure of supporting. I’m consistently reminded of the multitude of ways we can choose to explore the possibilities, discover potential and act authentically as leaders. It’s a privilege to be journeying beside others who also view leadership as a verb, not a noun. It’s a doing word, and with practice we see progress. What do you purposefully choose to water each and every day?

“The real winners in life are the people who look at every situation with an expectation that they can make it work ot make it better.” – Barbara Pletcher